Roy Hodgson has aimed a dig Rafa Benitez by saying he inherited a squad too big and lacking in quality when he took over at Liverpool.

Hodgson's hands have been tied financially in the transfer market since he succeeded Benitez in the Anfield hot-seat in July and he has been forced to sell the likes of Javier Mascherano, Albert Riera and Emiliano Insua before being able to spend.

However, he has also shipped out fringe first-team players Alberto Aquilani, Nabil El Zhar, Philip Degen, Diego Cavalieri and several younger players in order to trim the playing staff and the wage bill.

In a veiled sideswipe at his predecessor, Hodgson said there were too many players in the so-called first-team squad when he arrived and he says more still need to leave.

"We were unbelievably overstaffed when I came to the club and, if the truth be known, we still are overstaffed," he said.

"A lot of hard work has gone in and you have to mention managing director Christian Purslow and chief scout Eduardo Macia.

"They both worked really hard during the transfer window to do the deals I wanted to happen - but also to do deals for quite a few players to leave the club.

"It was just as big a job making sure some of the players who never feature for the first team move on."